Sweet Nightmare, Bitter Dream
by IwaKitsune
Summary: Few of them cared and even less knew the reason he acted the way he did. One night, Lucas loses control of his PSI and the smashers find themselves trapped in an unknown place: his mind.
1. LeftFoot Start

_While this fic is centered mostly around Lucas (his powers and past adventure), I'll try to make all the Smashers appear here. Though I'm not completely sure about some of their personalities, I apologize beforehand if anyone seems OOC._

_Critics and reviews are deeply appreciated, as well as corrections! Please tell me if you spot grammar or spelling mistakes so I can fix them. _

_Oh, letting you know, in the future I may ask for the readers to help choose the story's direction._

Disclaimer:_ I don't own any of the characters in this story, only this idea and it's possible it has been done before._

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><p>~Sweet Nightmare, Bitter Dream~<p>

**Chapter I: **

**Left-Foot Start.**

_Taptaptaptap!_

"Come on, run faster!"

"W-wait!" The blond squeaked breathlessly as his friends rushed ahead, their feet slamming against the carpet-covered floor as they ran with a destination in mind. He was starting to lag behind them when a hand grabbed his wrist, pulling and forcing him to run faster.

"We are almost there!" His captor told him, looking over his shoulder to him, his other hand grasping the bill of his hat firmly to keep if from flying away.

"It's your fault for taking so long." Complained the only female of the group, glaring daggers at the back of the green-garbed blond's head running in front of her. Toon Link gulped and laughed nervously but didn't argue back.

"It's no use to blame him, Nana." Panted Ness as they turned a corner, still dragging Lucas along. "We need to get there before they get everything!"

"Right!" Was their chorus as they neared the stairs, hurrying as much as they could without tripping, finally skidding to a halt on the ceramic-tiled floor. Taking a sharp turn to the left, they approached a pair of large doors, already open and letting out the mouth-watering smell of the wide variety of the breakfast menu.

Not bothering to wait a minute longer, the group entered the dinning room and started toward the counter, scanning for something that may catch their interest. As soon as all of them had picked their meal they went to one of the many tables of the cafeteria-like room and sat down, chattering idly as they ate, joking about the good luck of some as was the case of Ness who had managed to get his hands on a steak, opposed to Toon who had given up the last plate of pancakes to Nana, ending up with a simple bowl of cereal.

"Serves you right for falling asleep." She said as she cut and brought another piece of the fluffy meal to her mouth, degusting it gleefully as the young swordsman chewed on the corn flakes, glaring at her childishly.

"I told you it was an accident, the alarm didn't-" His counter was cut as the blue turtle jumped onto the free seat to his right.

"Hey guys, mind if I sit here?" Greeted the Squirtle's owner as he approached the group, balancing his tray on one hand and stroking the Pokemon's head with the other.

"Sure, no problem." Toon grinned before turning back to the female Ice Climber, pointing the spoon threateningly at her. "It was the alarm's fault, not mine!"

A small argument broke between the two of them and soon enough Ness and Popo joined the discussion, the other tablemates deciding against that. The trainer released his Pokemon and set their plates down before turning to look at the psychic blond as he looked with slight curiosity at the debate.

"Hey Lucas, you have a battle, right?" The boy shifted his eyes to look at him, nodding and swallowing his mouthful of omelet before answering.

"Yes, against Meta Knight... you have one too, right?"

"Yeah, the first one of the day." Sighed the trainer and the blond smiled sympathetically, knowing his friend disliked battling so early in the morning. "Just my luck, I guess." He shrugged before a shriek came from the other side of the table, followed by bits of cereal flying everywhere as both Ice Climbers jumped toward Toon. Ness, Lucas and Red looked on as the blond ran around, nimbly dodging the duo's attacks before slamming into a chair the older Link put on his way. Just another normal morning for the smashers.

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><p>"Good luck on your match."<p>

"Yeah, you'll need it!"

"Ness!" The blond huffed at his grinning companion before turning back toward the trainer who simply waved his hand and turned around, walking toward the transporters' room.

"Thanks guys, just try not to laugh too hard at my failure." He joked good-naturedly, looking over his shoulder at the duo with a smile. "See you in a while!" Both of them waved back before running away to join the others, presumably in the living room where they would be able to witness the battle.

As soon as they were out of sight, Red let out a sigh and continued onward, entering the room and taking out the turtle's pokeball, looking at him through the semi-transparent surface. The Water-type nodded confidently and jumped, causing the ball to shake in the other's palm and extracting a grin from his trainer.

"Morning." He was pulled from his silent conversation by his opponent's voice; raising his head to look at the other, he returned the greeting with a smile.

"Morning. Ready?"

"Always." Came the confident reply of his opponent, Link, as they approached their transporters. With challenging smirks, they were warped toward their battle arena: Final Destination.

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><p>With a flash, the blue turtle jumped onto the stage, turning to face the swordsman as he readied himself into a battle stance. Determined brown eyes stared directly at the other's serious, blue ones, both of them waiting for the voice to announce the beginning.<p>

"**Ready? Go!**"

Squirtle jumped back, avoiding the quick slash and shooting a stream of water at the green-clad hero, forcing him to take a step back.

"Squirtle, Headbutt!" Following the instructions, the Water-type lunged toward Link as he took out the shield to block the hit before sending another slash the turtle's way, setting him airborne with a sharp cry. He bounced once before finding himself struggling to his feet, having fallen on his shell; with a quick movement, Red withdrew the Water-type before Link reached him with another slash. His attack was cut as the Ivysaur's vines whipped him back. "Alright Ivysaur, do your thing!"

Both Pokemon and swordsman charged for each other before Link jumped, barely giving Ivysaur enough time to turn around before slashing, sending her skidding to the edge of the platform before she whipped at him again, slamming him against the floor and promptly sending him off the platform with a tackle.

"Great job!" Congratulated the trainer before another cry reached him; he grimaced as Link managed to return to the platform with a Spin Attack, hitting his Pokemon due to her own proximity to the edge.

"You haven't got rid of me yet." Link said, pulling out a bomb and throwing it against the Grass-type, making it slide to the other edge of the platform with a pained grunt. Gritting his teeth he reached for another pokeball.

"Come back, Ivysaur. Go, Charizard!" He called as the capsule hit the platform, a roar coming from the large dragon-like Pokemon as it appeared on the arena, glaring at the hero as he readied another bomb. "Flamethrower!" The second the explosive left Link's hand it was hit by the attack, keeping him away from the explosion and extracting a hiss from the Hylian as some fire tongues licked his arm. "Slash!" The Fire-type cut the flames as he flapped his wings, approaching the blond with outstretched claws.

His attack connected and Link was sent tumbling a few steps back before once again slashing toward his opponent, with a roar the Charizard flew back and away from the other's attack before the Boomerang slammed against his head. Angered, he swiped his tail violently, sending Link flying over the edge.

"Don't let him get back, fly and slash!" Red shouted, staring intently at the swordsman and analyzing his moves. The Fire-type roared again and pursuit the hero before he had time to use his Spin Attack, clawing at him before Link escaped from his reach and propelled himself up with his signature attack; however, both of them were too far below the platform and before he could react, Charizard found himself off the limit. He roared as the voice came again.

"**Game!**"

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><p>"That was so close..." Mused the psychic blond as half the people watching the match cheered in victory, some of them even claiming the money of those who had groaned. A few feet away from him Pit and Toon grinned at each other, exchanging a high-five.<p>

"I told you he was going to win!" Exclaimed the blond, puffing out his chest proudly.

Pikachu stood on his seat, pointing at the swordsman with a paw, challenge obvious in his tone. "(Yeah well, it was a close call, he could have lost if Charizard slashed at him a second longer!)"

Samus sighed, crossing her arms and looked at them with dead-pan eyes. "Don't start again. If you want to fight do it in the battlefield." She glared icily at both of them. "Or better yet, how about you do another Cruel Brawl contest?"

"(A-ah no, n-no! We're fine now, right?)" Pikachu laughed stiffly, waving his paw in the other's direction as he nodded in agreement. "(No need to reach such extremes!)"

Lucas wasn't able to hear the end of the conversation as he exited the room, walking toward the transporters for the incoming battle; he found both of the last match's fighters on their way back to the living room. With a small smile he waved at the duo. "Great match! Congratulations Link, and you were really close, Red."

Reaching down, the swordsman petted him with a smile, ruffling his hair. "Thank you, Lucas. Good luck on your match."

"Do better than I did!" Chuckled the Pokemon Trainer; nodding determinately, Lucas ran down the hall, entering the room and finding it already occupied with his opponent, who was focusing on one of the many monitors of the room.

Turning to look at the newcomer, Meta Knight nodded in acknowledgement. "Are you ready?" With a light gulp, the psychic nodded and both of them approached the transportation platforms silently.

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><p>Unsheathing his sword, the Star Warrior readied for the battle, eyes quickly adjusting as the flash diminished to reveal their battle area: the Temple. Staring with icy seriousness at his opponent who stood only a few feet away, he watched as Lucas shifted his footing, trying to calm his nerves.<p>

"**Ready? Go!**"

"PK Fire!" Lucas cried sending the attack and connecting the first hit of the battle, his opponent however seemed almost unaffected by the quick attack and instead flew forward, slashing away quickly. Unable to avoid, the blond yelped as he was sent flying, landing on his back on the hard stone floor; before Meta Knight was able to reach him again, he leaped back and out of range, jumping onto the platform and rushing to the other side of the area.

The Star Warrior followed close behind, gliding after him and reading his sword again when the other jumped, kicking him back with considerable strength. Glaring darkly, the puffball jumped again, landing behind the other and using his Tornado attack, not giving him enough time to dodge and instead making him slam against the wall forcefully.

Lunging forward, Lucas sent a PSI charged punch toward the warrior, who blocked with a shield before sending him back with another slash. Finding himself cornered, the blond jumped away from him, opting to go to the lowest area to fight, the other following close behind.

"PK Freeze!" The boy gritted his teeth as Meta Knight dodged the attack with a few flaps of the bat wings; while his opponent was still in the air he concentrated and let loose the psychic power around him. Unable to dodge, the masked puffball bounced against the ceiling before raising to his feet, attacking with his Tornado again.

Doing a backflip, Lucas reached the small platform on the right before focusing on PSI again. "PK Thunder!" He called as a purple ball, cracking with electricity, flew swiftly toward his opponent, hitting him two times before disappearing completely. Slumping lightly for a moment, he panted before noticing the approaching warrior-

_Slash! Bam! _

"**Game!**"

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><p>Among the snickering witnesses, some of the smashers winced as the battle end, featuring Meta Knight as the winner.<p>

"That gotta hurt..." The statement was met with mumbles of agreement as the cut from the final attack was shown a second time: the Star Warrior lunging toward the still-recovering psychic who barely managed to change his determined expression to surprise before the sword connected with his stomach, not a moment later he had slammed against the rock above and was sent plunging to the bottom limit of the area.

With a slightly pained sigh, Lucas sat down on the platform's steps the moment they reappeared in the transporter's room, rubbing the back of his head. He jumped when a gloved hand presented itself and looked up to meet Meta Knight's eyes.

"Good match; you did very well, Lucas." He said with a serious tone, a hint of pride hidden behind the formalness. Unsure of what else to do, the blond smiled lightly and shook his hand.

"S-same to you, congratulations."

They both let go of the other before the Star Warrior turned to the exit, walking slowly; he looked back at the psychic, who continued rubbing his head. Lucas looked up again when the other started talking, almost hearing the other's small smile. "You really have gotten stronger, don't let anyone underestimate you."

Blinking in surprise, he smiled again and watched as the other continued his way; after a few moments, he sighed lightly under his breath, deep in thought. "I'll try..." He couldn't stop the wince as another shot of pain came from his temple and he raised his hand to massage the spot.

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><p><em>Lucas has a fever!<em>


	2. All Needed is Peace

_I'm really glad to hear you guys liked the first chapter. And sorry for taking forever with these chapters, I'm really slow writing ;;_

_Thanks to **shygirl2009**, **weeeeeeeee** (deargod thank you so much for the critic ;A; ) and **A Nice Guy** (I'll try to not let this fic die!) for the reviews c:_

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><p><strong>Chapter II:<strong>

**All Needed is Peace.**

He just wanted to run off and hide somewhere cold, refreshing; that was all he wanted to do and he didn't have the opportunity to do so. With a heavy sigh, the blond lowered his head and continued following the chattering group out of the mansion and to the gardens. Unable to focus on their voices long enough to make sense of what they were talking about, he huffed under his breath, feeling heavy, dizzy and much too hot for his comfort. It was not the first time he felt that way but it has been a long time since he last went through that.

Lucas felt something tap his shoulder and it took him a second to notice it was a hand, and that someone was talking to him instead of joining the buzzing of the other voices. Sluggish, he raised his head to meet the other's confused and slightly worried eyes.

"S-sorry, what did you say...?" The blond's voice sounded slow, slurred, exhausted.

The Hero of the Winds tilted his head, eyes narrowing uneasily before he repeated himself. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, don't worry about me." His reply was followed by a sigh as he massaged his temple again, ignoring -or perhaps being oblivious to- the scrutinizing eyes of the green-clad hero who decided to take his word for it and turned his attention back to the others as they finally made their way down the steps leading to the gardens.

The area itself had a cobblestone path waving across the green pasture and patches of flowers of every color and form, a few trees dotting the expense, becoming more and ticker the further away they were until they simply meshed with the nearby forest. A big, white stone fountain rose in the middle of a circular area where the paths gathered; past the elegant trails and structure were wide spaces, these being the place the group was walking toward.

They passed the flower beds and the smashers currently relaxing there, rushing toward the green field with Ness leading, a red Frisbee in his hand. The blond psychic lagged behind them, his pounding head keeping him from quickening his pace, and simply watched as the group dispersed around the field, taking their places for the game. The dark-haired psychic stared at him from afar and waved the toy in his hand as if to ask if he was going to play, Lucas shook his head and went to sit under the shade of a large tree as Ness shrugged before throwing the toy at Popo.

After watching a few catches and throws, the blond sighed again and leaned against the sturdy tree trunk, enjoying a passing breeze that felt all the more pleasant due to his fever. Suddenly, something nudged his side and he flinched, opening his eyes only to find the pink Star Warrior looking at him. Sitting up, he gave a small smile and patted Kirby's head.

"Hey there."

"Poyo?" Kirby pointed to something to his side and Lucas followed the motion with tired yet curious eyes only to see the others were still playing with the flying toy.

Tilting his head, he turned back to meet the other's expectant eyes. "Humm? Oh, you want to play with them...?" His answer was an excited nod and a wide smile, a contagious one seeing as he couldn't keep his own small smile from appearing. "Ask Ness, he'll let you play. Just try not to swallow the Frisbee, alright?"

Once again, the other nodded cheerfully before switching to a more serious expression; the pink puffball poked him slightly in the arm. "Poyo!" Noticing the other's confusion, Kirby motioned again toward the field and the group. "Play, poyo?"

"No, I'm not gonna play, feeling a bit tired." He shook his head for emphasis, nudging the puffball toward the group. "Don't worry, just go play."

Doing as told, the pink puffball sent him one last worried glance before sprinting toward the others, particularly the short, self-appointed leader. Once again the blond sighed contently as another passing breeze cooled his aching head, carrying with it the laughter of his friends; he looked back at them before raising to his feet, making his way toward one of the many flower beds nearby.

The boy crouched next to the colorful plants, reaching to touch a daisy's petals distractedly. He didn't notice the arguably quiet steps behind him, tapping against the stone and extracting a soft crunching sound as weight was applied to the small pebbles. He did notice someone covering his eyes with a swift motion, pulling him back and making him sit on the grass.

With a startled gasp, he reached to grab the hands blocking his view as a loud cackle sounded behind him, coming from his captor. The second his vision cleared, Lucas looked over his shoulder just as the angel patted his head with a chuckle. "P-pit!"

The angel's blue eyes sparkled with glee as he grinned. "Hey Lucas! Why are you here and not with the others, where are they anyway?"

The blond stood up, dusting himself off before answering. "They're in the field ahead with a Frisbee, why?" As he looked up, he finally noticed the presence of others; looking past Pit, he saw the princesses talking with a red-head and a blond, both with a sword and both people he didn't recognize, though the blond looked eerily familiar.

Pit snapped him from his staring with a quick flap of his wings, looking at the group of young smashers throwing the toy around, grinning widely when the Frisbee passed over Nana and performed a sharp turn- slamming directly against Toon's forehead. "Alright, thanks! Umm..." The brunet switched his gaze from the group to stare at the psychic boy, following his eyes. "Oh, I don't think you've meet them. Come!" Without waiting for a reply he grabbed the other's arm, dragging him toward the small group.

Lucas squeaked nervously as he was suddenly pushed in front of the group, Pit's hands on his shoulders in what the angel thought as support and the blond felt as pressure. The small group focused on the duo as Pit called them.

Peach giggled at the psychic's nervous stance. "Why, hello Lucas!" She clapped her hands in front of her chest before smiling at the two unknown males with a side glance. "Presentations are in order, aren't they?"

Zelda smiled calmly at her pink-clothed friend before gesturing at the other blond standing next to her, he nodded and extended a hand in Lucas' direction. "I'm Link, called Young around here. Nice to meet you!" Young said as Lucas shook hands with him; he was swiftly pushed away by the red-head, who simply grinned at the other's pout.

"And I'm Roy, you are... Lucas, right?"

"Y-yeah, I am. P-pleasure t-to meet you." He stuttered nervously, before looking back up at the brunet behind him. "S-sorry but... I have to go."

Zelda raised an eyebrow at that, curiosity flashing in her eyes. "If you don't mind me asking, where are you going?"

"Inside... I'm kind of tired, actually..." Lucas mumbled back, barely avoiding a flinch as his temple decided to remind him of his unusual fever; the small group exchanged glances before letting go of him and bidding him a farewell, turning toward the fields as Lucas passed the doorway, walking slowly toward the stairs and up to the room he shared with Ness.

Closing the door behind him quietly, he shuffled toward his bed, falling face-first against the pillows; he sighed to himself as the soft, cool material pressed against his forehead. Snuggling against the pillow, he hugged it before closing his eyes, intending on a quick nap; his mind started to shut down not long after and his last thought before falling asleep was the realization that he hadn't seen anyone on his way back, something he was surprisingly grateful for.

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><p><em>The mind is such an interesting thing.<em>

_So strong it can affect your surroundings, your actions, your future._

_So fragile it can break if pushed the slightest bit too hard._

_Body, heart, soul and mind. All different and alike._

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><p>"-uys, I found him!"<p>

"Not so loud, Popo."

With a groan, the blond psychic opened one of his eyes slowly, peered through a half-lid with unfocused curiosity; the first thing he saw was a blurry, bluish figure with spots of various colors around, the muffled whispers of young voices cutting through the fog of sleep as he slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes. He raised his gaze again, still slightly blurry, and focused on the small crowd next to his resting spot just as the pink and white blur he recognized as Nana spoke with a hushed tone. "Hey Lucas, we were wondering where you had gone to."

"Yeah, you just disappeared." Chirped her partner, earning nods from the others before continuing. "Young did tell us that you went inside but we had to look everywhere to find you!"

Lucas blushed, wringing the blanket in his hand nervously. "S-sorry guys, I uhh..." He stopped his excuse the second Ness waved his hand in the air.

"Nah, no worries about that. It's almost dinner though, let's go!" The black-haired psychic said, smiling excitedly and pointing toward the entrance of the room with that air of leadership that always surrounded him; his 'order' was followed by whoops of agreement as the Ice Climbers, Toon Link and Kirby excited the room, leaving behind both psychics and Young Link. The trio blinked before Ness rubbed the back of his head with a chuckle. "Yeah, let's hurry before something happens."

"Like that time in the past tournament that Kirby accidentally swallowed everything because of a hiccup-fit?" Young's comment earned a loud cackle from the veteran, giving enough time for Lucas to jump out of the bed and, out of habit, rearrange the cover and pillows. "Or that time Captain Falcon teased Bowser nonstop and he burned everything in a rage!" The memories brought delighted grins from Ness and Young, making Lucas feel out of place but nonetheless finding the mere idea amusing.

"Oh man, that was so good!" Ness chuckled under his breath as they exited the door, closing it behind them before starting their way toward the dining room. "Or the Spicy Sauce Surprise! That day was amazing!" The way the swordsman chortled was enough of a confirmation that he remembered that crystal clear.

Curiosity got the best of the meek blond and he looked at the duo. "What happened that day?"

"Just about the best prank ever!" Replied Young with a wide grin, eyes sparkling mischievously. "It was a normal, boring day and we were trying to decide what to do when we saw Bowser with a Spicy Stick that was almost literally glowing red..."

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><p>"And then everyone was running around as if someone had dropped ants in their pants!" Ness barely managed to wheeze through his laughter as the trio finally reached the kitchen, almost choking on air as they whipped tears away; two reliving the adventure and the other imagining it.<p>

Young opened his mouth to add something after regaining his breath, but before being able to utter a single word he was interrupted by the loud chatter and clicking coming from the room where everyone else was; they raced to the doors and hurried across the room and toward the plates. Few moments later they were sitting at the table, talking with each other in between bites.

While the swordsman and the dark-haired psychic caught up with each other, Lucas was pulled from their conversation by someone poking his side. Startled, he looked up and noticed Ike staring at him, one hand occupied with a fork and the other changing direction and pointing toward the other side of the table before going back to his food; the blonde furrowed his brows before spotting Red waving at him with a grin.

He raised an eyebrow in wonder before the Pokemon Trainer signaled somewhere to his side, Lucas glanced in the direction just as a small spark appeared in the air, followed by the cheerful voice of Pikachu, patting another smaller, lighter colored Pokemon. Surprised, the psychic did a quick scan of the people sitting at the table, noticing Roy talking with Marth a few seats away from him, the small electric mouse next to Pikachu, and someone dressed as a doctor sitting next to Mario further away.

During his survey he didn't notice the nasty grin firmly set on Wario's face. Neither the incredibly well placed cup he 'accidentally' set behind Pikachu just as he took a sharp step back as the smaller mouse swept the butter knife at him during their play-fight. With a sharp cry, the electric mouse toppled over the almost-full glass and fell on a plate of unused utensils, sending a few flying and clattering against the table while others sailed through the air.

Smashers ducked as a few silver forks and spoons passed above their heads, however, Lucas flinched at the loud, unexpected noise and had turned his head toward the direction instead of seeking refuge; for a split second he stared at the fork approaching him before leaning back sharply, avoiding the dangerous projectile but losing his balance completely, ending on the floor with a rather loud thud.

Silence fell on the table as everyone looked at the small catastrophe; few of them noticed Lucas crawling back to his sit, blushing brightly under the worried and curious stares of Ness and Ike. The awkward silence was broken by hushed voices as people exchanged glances and soon enough most of the table was back to their conversations, though the stiff atmosphere caused by the 'accident' stayed longer.

"Hey, you alright, Lucas?" Ness whispered, looking at his friend staring at his food; Young peeked over the psychic's side, blinking in curiosity at the other blond.

Lucas shook his head and sighed before giving the duo a sideways glance and a small smile. "Y-yeah, I a-am..." When he looked up again he noticed the nasty grin on the one that started everything, pointing at him as he cackled, telling something to Wolf as he chuckled. An all too familiar coldness passed over him as he realized they were laughing at him and he ducked his head again before jumping out of his seat.

"Where are you going?" Peeped Young Link as he raised his own cup to his lips.

"I'm not hungry anymore..." Lucas muttered, eyes downcast as he walked out of the room, gaining fleeting glances as he passed the doors and soon enough the chattering of the dining room was nothing more than a distant buzz as he exited the mansion and walked through the gardens.

Sighing to himself, he sat next to a flower beds and traced a finger over the soft petals, trying to distract himself from what had happened a few minutes ago. His sulking was interrupted as he heard almost silent humming near his location; knowing it wasn't the same buzz as the one coming from inside the mansion, he looked around and caught sight of a dark silhouette sitting out of the light's reach.

It took him a moment longer to place the being's identity. "Lucario...?" The jackal opened his eyes and looked at him with a calmness hardly found in the fighters participating in the tournament. "What are you doing out here?"

Lucario raised his head to look at the night sky before closing his eyes again. "Meditating. Something quite hard to achieve when chaos occurs, in other words: Almost anytime inside the mansion." Turning his head, he stared at the blond through half-lidded eyes. "I repeat the question, what brought you out here?"

Lucas glanced back to the plants, sighing quietly. "I guess I just... wanted some peace for a while. Sorry if I disrupted you." He added quickly, rising to his feet before the Pokemon brought a paw up in the air, signaling him to stop.

"Worry not; you aren't causing a ruckus, unlike others. Besides the gardens are a place for everyone to unwind, I have no right to expulse you."

The blond's reply was cut as he noticed other presence in the vicinity, one he couldn't recognize; he looked around for the source, readying for the worse before relaxing as he saw Lucario's calm stance. If they were in danger, the jackal would be the first to know and react.

"Interesting." The voice echoed around the two of them just as Lucario turned to face a tree, another figure leaning against the tough bark. "He has a power similar to that of Ness but different all at once, I see." Lucas squinted to make out the figure: A large cat-like creature?

"Who are you?" He asked the creature, shrinking away as he earned a chuckle from it.

"You don't have complete control of your abilities, lack of practice I would say." The creature step toward the light, revealing his mainly purple and white coloration. "My name is Mewtwo, past participant of the tournament."

"I'm Lucas but... something tells me you knew that already... How do you know of my PSI...?"

"Psychics can feel other psychics' presences around." Mewtwo replied, looking at him with calculating eyes. "You aren't the first one I've met with that specific kind of power either."

Lucas shuffled his feet nervously, looking unsure for a moment before sitting back next to the flowers, glancing toward the legendary with curious eyes. "Are you a Pokemon?"

"Only one of my kind." Was the other's calm reply before he teleported away, leaving Lucario and Lucas alone. The blond gasped in surprise and the jackal breathed deeply, concentrating for a minute before looking at the young boy.

"He went to the roof." He informed before returning to his silent concentration. Minutes ticked by slowly as the duo sat in complete silence, only broken by the whispers of passing breezes and faraway chatter. Completely content with the peaceful atmosphere, the psychic boy stood again from his place and went to sit next to the Fighting-type, copying the other's position and sighing quietly. The jackal opened an eye to glance at him curiously before smiling to himself.

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><p>From a much higher altitude, the Psychic-type watched them silently as a smaller, pink colored cat-like creature floated around him, his long tail twisting behind him slowly as he approached Mewtwo. The blue eyes of the pink Pokemon shone brightly with interest as he followed the larger being's gaze.<p>

"Lack of control is dangerous, for him and those around." Mewtwo crossed his arms, deep in thought.

"Mew..." Agreed the pink legendary worriedly, tilting his head.


	3. Did You Hear?

_My sincerest apologies. This year I was swallowed by college and lost most of my inspiration for this story. But I said I didn't want to leave it hanging so I'll keep trying; I make no promises about update speed though cause writing is hard ;w;_

_I know this is like a year late but I guessed that maybe having this as a Christmas present would be good? ;x; Happy holidays to all of you!_

_Mayor thanks to** Phil The Persona Guy, shygirl2009, TheMysticalQ, Curo, TheAlienAlliance, VexVulpes** (thanks a lot really for the subtle poke, and the compliment~), **roseal, AnimeCat92, Neon Pendulum, oceanlover4evr, Skaftafell, HappieApple** and **DarknessMaster23**. I hope the wait is worthwhile ;w;_

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><p><strong>Chapter III: <strong>

**Did you hear?**

Second turns to minutes, and minutes to hours, as the psychic jackal and boy sat in silence in the dark and peaceful garden, enjoying the quiet of the night. Lucas was the first one to stand up from his place next to a patch of flowers, fingers brushing the petals before he stretched up with a quiet groan, rubbing his arms afterwards.

Lucario opened one crimson eye to look at him. "Cold?" Lucas gave him a sheepish smile and nodded, looking back at the mansion as if asking for permission; the pokemon chuckled and gave a quick nod. "Feel free to go, I'll follow later; I'd like to bask in the peace a little longer before a new day begins."

"Alright, good night, Lucario." The blond muttered quietly as if trying to not disrupt the silence before starting toward the mansion. Once inside, he gave a sigh of relief as the warmth of the place greeted him, along with quiet voices from one of the living rooms.

Curious, he blinked and moved closer, rubbing his hands to warm them up faster. Once by the doorway, he saw a few of the smashers chatting quietly, or enjoying the peace and warmth of the place. The Mario brothers smiled and talked with Fox and Link, seemly about trivial matters as they chuckled and changed topic so easily; Zelda and Samus were in a couch, reading each their own book and both with cups of tea, most likely left there for them by Peach, Pikachu resting on Samus' lap like a lazy pet. Sitting by the fireplace was Ivysaur, who opened one eye to look at him as soon as he entered the room; she immediately perked up and let out one of her vines, waving it lightly in greeting.

Lucas smiles and waved back, making his way toward the Grass-type and sitting by her. "Hey there, why are you here and not with Red?"

Ivysaur sighed and rolled her eyes before lying back down, returning to her nap; Lucas continued petting her, figuring out she just was tired of how energetic the others could be. He distracted himself for a few minutes, simply giving her affection absently, before a questioning voice broke through the almost silent air.

"Lucas? Did you-a hear?" The blond blinked in question, raising his gaze to look at the younger Mario brother that had called him. Luigi smiled and kneeled next to him, reaching pet the Grass-type as well, knowing that she liked the attention and that Lucas would be more comfortable if he wasn't under the limelight. "I guess-a that's a no." He chuckled as the young male blushed in embarrassment, did he miss something important? Luigi looked up at him, gesturing lightly with his hand in excitement. "I'm-a sure you've met-a the smashers that have-a come back to visit, right? Well, tomorrow we wanted to let-a them fight against some-a new smashers! And-a your fight is tomorrow morning, right-a?"

"Yes, it's around 10 am..." Lucas replied quietly, nodding in understanding. "So it's like... the opening match of this tournament? The newbies against veterans?" He still remembered that day, he had been so nervous about that fight as well. He had worried so much about the 'what if he lost and gave a bad name to all the newbies', even if he wasn't the only one fighting. In the end he had lost against Ness, but he also started to acknowledge the fact the tournament was meant to be fun instead of a test.

Luigi smiled widely and nodded eagerly. "Yep! And-a the battle that was-a chosen to be changed was that one-a. Just wanted to ask-a if you were okay with that."

"When did you decided this...?"

Rubbing his neck, the mustachioed man gave him a sheepish smile. "After dinner... we-a noticed you weren't there-a a little too late-a. But if you don't-a want to participate-a, we can get-a someone else in-a your place!"

Lucas mused for a few moment, looking down at his lap; everyone knew he was very pacific and that he didn't enjoy fighting as much as others did, but he didn't like backing down from a fight, mostly because he knew some people would call him coward. And in the end, all the matches were for good fun, so it didn't matter that much if he won or lost a few. But he really didn't want to back down from one when it had been announced for everyone, he didn't want to disappoint anyway if they were looking forward to fight him...

"Who was my partner...? For the fight, I mean." Lucas asked, honestly unable to remember.

"Your-a partner is Wolf, and-a you're gonna fight Pichu and Roy." Luigi informed, nodding for emphasis and smiling cheerfully as he took that as an affirmation that he was going to fight.

Lucas grimaced a little, focusing on petting Ivysaur as a small stab of pain passed through his head again. After that night's dinner, he really didn't want to have anything to do with Wolf for a few days... but such was his luck. "Team battle with Wolf, versus Pichu and Roy, at 10 am... got it. Thank you, Luigi."

The plumber noticed the other's unease and frowned to himself lightly. "Okie dokie... if you're sure..."

Lucas waved a hand gave him a small smile. "It's okay, really...!" He winced as his headache returned, just in time as his name was called by someone. With hi head throbbing with pain at the sudden loudness, he looked up as the other psychic boy walked hurriedly toward him, followed by Young. "E-er... h-hi Ness." He chirped meekly, noticing the anxious look on the other's face.

Ness sighed in relief, resting his hands on his knees and hunching over as he panted for a moment. "Lucas! We were getting worried you weren't coming back! You usually go to bed like half an hour ago."

"S-sorry, I got distracted..."

The black-haired boy sighed again and Young smiled, peeping in. "It's okay. Ness was starting to get all jumpy, though. It was kinda funny to see that." The green-clad blond chuckled at the glare the other sent his way.

Lucas played with his hands for a second, feeling himself blush in embarrassment, before Luigi joined in the conversation. "Well-a, Young... Lucas has some-a bad luck, Ness has-a always been protective of-a him." He gave Lucas a small, encouraging smile before standing up. "But-a Lucas has-a learned lots-a about defending himself from-a the ones that pick-a on him. So you shouldn't worry so much, Ness."

Lucas thanked Luigi internally as Ness pouted and Young nodded in understanding, all of them watching the plumber go join the group of veterans that were chattering happily. The dark-haired boy sighed and extended a hand for Lucas to grab. "C'me on, let's go back to our room, it's late and we have fights tomorrow."

The meek blond nodded and took the offered hand, hearing the swordsman whine quietly about how he missed the late night games they used to play with the Ice Climbers, such as small tournaments of racing games and such. "You can play if you want, it doesn't bother me that much." Lucas said quietly, giving a smile at the duo as they accepted the offer for a few rounds of playing.

While Young ran off to go tell the Ice Climbers and possibly Toon, Ness continued leading Lucas to their room, looking back at him with a worried expression.

"Everything okay, Luke?"

The blond blinked in surprise before giving a quick, careful nod, trying not to move his head too much in case the pain worsened. "I'm okay, Ness... I'm sorry for worrying you, it's just that I lost track of time when I was outside with Lucario." He mumbled, looking back down to the floor as they continued on.

Ness sighed and shook his head before offering him a reassuring smile. "It's okay, you don't have to apology." After that, they continued the rest of the way in peaceful silence, passing by other smasher's rooms. Light snores and quiet giggles and voices could be heard from the hallway as they passed in front of doors, each one with a symbol representing the world or universe the inhabitants where from. Soon, they reached one with an earth-like symbol on it, and Ness didn't hesitate to open it and flicking on the lights.

Once in their room, Lucas yawned and rubbed his eyes, barely hearing Ness saying that he was going to set up the system as he gathered his pajamas and tumbled to the bathroom to get ready; minutes after, he came out with his normal attire on his arms, leaving it to the side and crawling on his bed, curling under the blankets snuggly and falling asleep easily.

* * *

><p><em>He blinked lightly, trying to help his eyes adjust to the brightness of the sunny day. A great, green plain greeting him with short, waving trees and a dirty road that lead somewhere he didn't have the chance to place as the loud ring of a bell reached his ears.<em>

_Bright baby blue eyes lifted and looked up at the lookout tower, his attention immediately diverted from the unnaturally tall man by someone pulling on his small hand with one just as small._

"_Let's go to the forest! We can go play with Fuel!" He smiled at the voice, feeling an ache deep inside his chest, before replying._

"_Sure, but we have to go back before mom starts worrying, don't forget that lunch is pretty soon!"_

_Bright green eyes looked at his own, a smile just as bright shining on the seemly mirror image in front of him. "We'll be back soon, Lucas!"_

"_Alright!"_

"_You never know how much time we have left, Luke. Let's enjoy it."_

"_...Claus...?"_

"_Hehehehe!"_

* * *

><p>"-cas! Lucas!" The blond jumped awake with a gasp, wincing and groaning as his hands flew to clutch his head as the sudden movement sent a stab of pain. Unfocused eyes blinked to try and decipher what were the colorful blobs to his side at the same time his thoughts tried to organize themselves.<p>

A heavy sigh was the first thing he could recognize as his mind regained itself. Next thing was the blob taking shape of a small boy, similar to himself but not quite -_noneverquite-_.

"N-ness...?"

"Are you okay?" The black-haired psychic asked, frowning deeply at the stutter and the wince.

Lucas bit his lip, allowing his hands fall limply to his lap, before nodding in affirmation. "I'm fine, just... a little tired." He continued looking down at his hands, wondering why the migraine was still there, as Ness gave a small sigh and shook his head.

"Must be for you to sleep in like that." Ness commented, crossing his arms and looking over to the clock. It read 8:30 am. "You are usually up at 7 or 8 at least, especially when you have a match in the morning."

Lucas blinked in surprise, staring at the clock before jumping out of his bed with a squeak, scrambling for clean clothes and slamming the door of the bathroom closed. Ness couldn't help but laugh at the show.

* * *

><p>"Excited?" The word was echoed by a small choir of voices as Lucas took his seat on the table next to Toon Link, putting down the plate in front of himself. He looked up dizzily and blinked in confusion before Nana laughed and explained. "The match against Roy and Pichu! They are bouncing on the walls just waiting for it to be the hour!"<p>

"Yeah, Wolf seems a bit uncaring about it but he's been playing with his weapons for a bit, I bet he's restless too!" Popo added, grinning widely.

"Are you ready for it, Lucas?" Young grinned, hands resting on the table as he leaned forward on his seat. "It's not gonna be an easy match, both of them can be really tricky!"

Ness grinned back, leaning forward as well. "I bet he'll be able to win the match easily, you don't know the tricks and techniques he has up his sleeve!"

As the other young smashers entered the discussion between Young and Ness, Lucas tried to tune everyone off as he gulped down his breakfast, still feeling sluggish and dizzy due to the headache that seemly buzzed in the back of his mind.

* * *

><p><em>9:55<em>

Lucas wondered why he agreed to this match.

Rubbing his palm against his forehead to try and soothe the pain a little, the young psychic sat in the transporters room, waiting for it to be time for the fight. He tried to block Roy's and Pichu's excited chatter as they almost bounces against the walls; he jolted up a bit when he felt something nudge his shoulder, gaze rising to meet Wolf's steely eyes.

"Don't make us look bad, kid."

Pressure. Just what he needed. Sluggishly, he nodded in understanding and stood up, trying hard to keep himself from losing his balance. The clock announced a minute before the start of the match and they walked to the four transporters, waiting for the match to begin. A flash of light blinded the four of them and next thing they knew they were making their entrances to the arena—Pokemon Stadium.

Lucas jumped off the Mr. Saturn table on his platform, his stance unsteady for a moment. He blinked and shook his head, attempting to clear his vision as their opponents materialized on the other edge of the stage, a pokeball and a wall of what looked like fire.

**Ready? Go!**

At the voice, both Pichu and Roy jumped toward them, with Wolf rushing forward to meet them as well. Sluggishly, Lucas prepared a PK Fire, shooting it at the opposing duo. Skillfully, Roy sidestepped it and continued charging at Wolf, while Pichu jumped back to dodge.

A confident growl reached his ears and from that moment on, he knew Wolf would take Roy as his opponent, the sound of a sword cutting the air following soon after. In turn, Lucas jumped to meet the challenging electric mouse, who bounced and glared at him stubbornly before rushing toward him in a headbutt.

Already slowed in movements by the splitting headache, and with the pokemons naturally fast moves, Lucas received the hit to the stomach with little to no resistance, sent back with a strangled gasp as some volts released from the Pichu's small body. With a groan, he rushed back to his feet and jumped back and away from Pichu, hearing the electricity cracking lightly.

Another volt coursed through his frame and he froze for a moment in pain, managing to snap back and out of it fast enough to see the pokemon had also been affected by the electricity. In retaliation, he moved closer to Pichu and pulled his stick from hammerspace behind him, making to swing at him with as much strength as he could. Pichu managed to roll on his back and away from the attack, jumping again and hitting Lucas with his tail in a sharp swipe.

Stunned for a moment, the blond recoiled and was met with another jolt as Pichu continued assaulting him with its quick paced moves and electricity. The constant attacks were definitely not helping his current state and he curled up lightly.

_Goawaygoawaygoawaygivemespac e!_

With a cry, he released the stored PSI and sent it around him, almost like a bubble. The mouse squeaked in surprise, not expecting the attack to be so strong, or released in such a way.

And it had been stronger than it usually was.

With yelp, Pichu was sent up and far from the edge, enough that -has he not been stunned- not even with an agility would he have been able to reach the stage. And while the strength of the attack had come as a surprise for even Lucas, what truly made him jump was the other yelp at the same time as Pichu's. This one from Roy.

He turned and looked back at his partner for this, finding Wolf with a surprised expression that mirrored his own, as well as in a pose that could only mean he had thrown Roy at him. Blinking and swaying unsteadily, Lucas gapped as the two Melee participants appeared in the Revival platforms, finally clicking that he had knocked both of them off the stage with one single PSI attack.

Wolf smirked, going back to the battle stance. "Heh, that's what I'm talking about. Good first impression, kid."

Lucas wasn't sure how to respond to that.


End file.
